1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to server systems and, more specifically, to systems and methods for selecting applications accessible by a group of users.
2. General Background and Description of Related Art
A given discrete business unit will often have a need for an Internet presence associated with that unit. For example, a business unit may need or desire to provide a World Wide Web (web) portal associated with the business unit that customers, employees, investors, or other on-line users may access to obtain information about the business unit or its products/services. Such business units may include standalone corporations as well as subsidiaries or related corporate entities comprising individual business units having a common parent organization. A financial services provider, for example, may have separate business units for correspondent services, corporate employee financial services, and global prime broker services. Over time, an entity (for example, a corporation) may form or acquire additional business units that could also benefit from an Internet presence.
Provision of Internet services requires hardware, software, and personnel resources at considerable effort and expense. For example, providing a web site may require the development of several interactive linked pages, the format and content for which must be designed and implemented by software professionals drawn from internal resources or engaged as outside services. Running the web site may require computing and communications bandwidth on a server system, which may either be acquired through capital expenditure and administered internally, or leased or rented from an external web hosting service, for example.
The Internet services provided by a business unit may include one or more applications that are accessed by a group of users from a host server. The group of users entitled to access the applications associated with a particular business unit may form a constituency of that business unit. However, for each business unit to provide its own independent Internet access for its constituents to its application or applications may be problematic. For example, to provide Internet services for individual business units can require independent web site development and administration, with the attendant web site costs being borne independently and additively by each business unit.
Furthermore, difficulties may arise in maintaining the strength of the branding for a single entity when each of the Internet services associated with the multiple business units of a single entity must be separately developed and administered to present a uniform look and feel.